Enterprise Architect - Data & AI - #1703285

The Role

As the Lead Enterprise Architect for Data & AI, you will define and drive Imperial Brands’ enterprise-wide data and information architecture strategy. Your role will ensure the alignment of data assets, governance, and platforms with the needs of business functions across Commercial, Finance, Supply Chain, Product, and Regulatory. You will lead the design of a connected, scalable, and trusted data architecture that enables advanced analytics, AI/ML, regulatory compliance, and digital transformation. This is a key leadership role in realising the vision of a data-driven enterprise.

The enterprise architect must:

• Facilitate alignment between business and IT, and across the democratized IT landscape


• Engage business and IT stakeholders, building and maintaining relationships


• Adapt to changing business and operating models


• Analyse trends and disruptions, and assess their impact on targeted business outcomes


• Tell stories to visualize the future state and trigger long-term planning


• Support various operating models such as project-centric and product-centric


• Communicate the value of enterprise architecture, and its portfolio of services


• Drive the evolution of the EA teams services and operating model


• Coach and mentor other architects, product owners/managers and business stakeholders to instil architectural thinking

Principle Accountabilities

• Define the enterprise data architecture strategy, principles, and target state aligned to business priorities and regulatory obligations.


• Lead the architecture design for enterprise data platforms including Azure Synapse, Databricks, Power BI, and Informatica.


• Establish standards for data modelling, master data management (MDM), metadata, lineage, and stewardship.


• Partner with business units and domain architects to identify critical data domains and ensure fit-for-purpose data capabilities.


• Provide architectural oversight for major programmes involving data ingestion, transformation, and consumption across platforms.


• Define enterprise-wide policies for data access, security, quality, and lifecycle management.


• Drive the development and adoption of enterprise taxonomies, data products, and federated governance models.


• Stay current with emerging technologies (e.g., data mesh, lakehouse, generative AI) and evaluate their fit for Imperial Brands.

Critical Decisions:

• Designing the balance between centralised and federated data ownership models.


• Selecting architecture patterns for data integration, storage, and analytics (e.g., Lakehouse vs. traditional warehouse).


• Prioritising foundational data governance initiatives versus high-value business use cases.


• Determining the appropriate abstraction level for enterprise data models and ontologies.


• Advising on the appropriate technology stack for enterprise-scale AI/ML and real-time data streaming.

Skills and Experience Required

Essential: 

• Extensive experience in enterprise architecture with a specialism in data, information, or analytics.


• Proven expertise in enterprise data platforms (Azure Data Lake, Synapse, Databricks, Power BI, etc.).


• Strong background in data governance, MDM, metadata management, and data quality frameworks.


• Knowledge of data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and how they impact data architecture.


• Demonstrated leadership in shaping data strategy and executing at enterprise scale.


• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and ability to communicate complex concepts clearly.


• Demonstrated ability to work well with others and be respected as an authority.


• Can marshal resources to get things done; can orchestrate multiple activities at once to accomplish a goal; uses resources effectively and efficiently.


• Able to communicate to a senior level with both technical and non-technical audiences.


• Can quickly find common ground and solve problems for the good of all; can represent his/her own interests and yet be fair to other groups; can solve problems with peers with a minimum of noise; is seen as a team player and is co-operative; easily gains trust and support of peers; encourages collaboration.


• Comfortable and experienced and accomplished at working with business executives, and able to push back in a professional and diplomatic manner.


• Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; probes all fruitful sources for answers; can see hidden problems.


• Motivated by long-term results and achieving targeted business outcomes.


• Multicultural sensitivity and integrity.


• Well organized and delivery and output orientated.


• Openness to change, comfortable with ambiguity.


• Excellent knowledge of governance forums, the role and value of governance, and the ability to run architecture governance forums.


• Can write clearly and succinctly in a variety of communication settings and styles; can get messages across that have the desired effect.


• Familiarity with Architecture Tools such as EA LeanIX

Desirable:

• TOGAF certification or equivalent EA qualification.


• Experience with Collibra, Informatica Axon/EDC, or similar data governance tools.


• Familiarity with modern concepts such as data mesh, data fabric, and domain-oriented data products.


• Knowledge of data science and AI/ML platforms and how they integrate with enterprise data strategy.


• Experience in a regulated, multinational environment such as FMCG, pharma, or finance


• Good skills and significant experience in the definition of Architectural artefacts e.g. architectural models, roadmaps, strategies, principles, standards, patterns etc.


• Good knowledge of one or more Architecture Modelling & Notation techniques (methods)


• Experience of leading technology and architecture for large-scale transformation programmes


• Experience of having applied one or more formal Architecture frameworks (e.g. TOGAF, Zachman)


• Excellent knowledge of at least one architectural domain – business, applications, integration, security, data, infrastructure, digital product development.


• Good knowledge of any two further domains.


• Conflict Management & Negotiation Skills


• Educated to Degree level or equivalent professional experience.


• MBA or post-graduate diploma.


• Certification in an Enterprise Architecture Framework

What We Offer

In return for playing your part in building our future, you will receive a comprehensive compensation package with salary, bonus scheme and further benefits as well inspiring places to work and collaborate with purpose. Here at Imperial we will give you the opportunity to grow and learn, innovate at pace and be a part of our purpose to forge a path to a healthier future for moments of relaxation and pleasure for our consumers.

Everyone Belongs

Everyone belongs in Imperial. We are proud of being a truly inclusive organisation. We encourage and welcome applications from people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, nationalities, disabilities, sexual orientation, religions or beliefs and of neuro divergence. We give fair and equal consideration to all our applicants. Please contact us at ***********@impbrands.com to let us know if we can provide support in helping you complete an application and/or attend an interview.

About Us

We're a truly international company, fourth largest in our industry and operating across 120 markets. An inclusive, innovative global FMCG business supported by 25,000 employees. As we embrace a new era of growth, we are transforming. Our ways of working and culture are driven by a challenger mindset, constantly questioning the status quo where people can bring their best selves to work. Our agility and collaboration are driving our ambitions, innovation and success all supported by our award-winning development programmes that creates exciting and rewarding career opportunities for all.  Encouraging inclusion at local levels and supporting a developing and robust diversity agenda globally, we’re fully committed to creating and maintaining an environment that celebrates and respects difference.

As a matter of policy, Imperial Tobacco or its subsidiaries never requests or requires payment as part of any recruitment process.